Restaurant Closing Checklist (Free Template)

A good closing checklist is the difference between walking in tomorrow to a clean, ready restaurant and walking in to someone else’s mistake. Here’s a complete one you can use tonight — front of house, bar, kitchen, and the manager close. Copy it, print it, or run it live on every phone.

Front of house — closing

Dining room

Bus and reset every table; chairs up or pushed in
Wipe down tables, booths, and high-touch surfaces
Roll silverware to tomorrow's par
Restock napkins, condiments, menus, and to-go supplies
Clean and reset the host stand; square away tablets and waitlist
Sweep and mop the dining room floor
Empty and reline dining room trash
Turn off music, TVs, and window/sign lighting
Break down and log out of POS stations

Restrooms

Restock soap, paper towels, and toilet paper
Wipe sinks, counters, mirrors, and stalls
Sweep, mop, and empty the trash

Bar — closing

Bar close

Empty, clean, and sanitize wells and speed rails
Wash, dry, and put away all glassware
Wipe the bar top, stools, and back bar
Store or discard cut fruit and garnishes per policy
Clean beer taps, drip trays, and soda guns
Clean floor mats and mop behind the bar
Secure liquor and record bottle counts if required

Kitchen — closing

Back of house close

Break down, clean, and sanitize every station
Wrap, label, and date all product; rotate FIFO
Take and log walk-in and freezer temperatures
Clean the flat-top, grill, and fryers; filter or change oil per schedule
Wash, sanitize, and air-dry all smallwares
Run and empty the dish machine; check the sanitizer level
Clean hood filters on schedule and wipe the hood
Sweep and mop floors; clear and clean drains
Empty and reline trash; break down cardboard
Shut down equipment not needed overnight
Set out anything the morning crew needs for prep

Manager — close

Manager close

Reconcile drawers and run the end-of-day sales report
Drop cash and secure the safe
Confirm every closing list is complete — with photo proof
Walk the building: lights, gas, ovens, doors, windows
Note 86'd items, repairs, or issues for the morning
Set the alarm and lock up

How to make a closing checklist actually stick

A printed list on the wall is a start, but it has two problems: nobody can prove a task was actually done, and you don’t find out something was skipped until you’re standing in it the next morning. A few things that help:

Split it by station. One giant list gets ignored; a short list per person gets done.
Require proof where it matters. A photo of the wiped line or the locked safe removes the “I did it” argument.
Only show it while they’re on the clock. A closing list that can be checked off at noon isn’t a record of anything.
Get told before you lock up. An alert while the crew is still there beats a surprise at open.

That’s exactly how the checklist feature in standley works — opening, mid, and closing lists that reset every morning, show only while staff are clocked in, take photo proof, and ping you 90 minutes before close if anything’s still open.